Golden: The Turning Dust into Gold Epilogue
by bethaboo
Summary: At long last, the epilogue story for Turning Dust into Gold. There's a marriage . . .a bun in the oven and someone waits patiently or not so patiently for a proposal. Three chapters for three couples! AH.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: For everyone who read TDIG and wasn't 100% satisfied with the ending, I give you the TDIG Epilogue, Golden. Honestly I'd always planned on doing this, but just recently I was able to really pull my head back into the world and write it. ****There'll be three chapters, each focusing on a different couple.**

**Also, if there are any current or budding writers out there, my sweetie, TheEdwardEmmett, and I are hosting a contest! It's called the Make it Count Contest, and it's basically a challenge to see who can write the best, most complete story in 1,000 words or less. See my fanfiction profile for more details and there's also a thread on the Writing Challenges section on the Twilighted forum. Deadline for submission is March 20, so you've got some time!**

**As usual, thank you to my awesome wonderful beta CallistoLexx and also songs will be up on my ff profile!**

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RPOV

"Stop moving," Alice said sternly, "and definitely stop freaking out, 'cause Tanya can't do your hair if you don't stay _still_."

I scowled at Alice's reflection in the mirror as she hovered behind the stylist. I knew well enough to know that when someone was doing your hair for your wedding, it was perhaps wiser to do what they told you to. Typically, I wasn't a big fan of doing what other people said, but in this scenario, I could definitely see the benefit in staying still—especially considering that Alice was _this close _to a particularly hot curling iron. So I stopped squirming in the chair.

"Alice, stop bitching. She's fine," Bella responded in a bored voice, as she flipped casually through a magazine.

I risked Alice's wrath to turn my head towards my other best friend. "You're next, you know," I said direly.

"Oh, I have awhile yet," Bella replied breezily. "You're the bride so Alice is going to make Tanya do your hair at least ten times before both she and you are finally satisfied."

I shot a glare in Bella's direction, but knew she was right. I was a perfectionist on a normal day. On my wedding day? It was a surprise that I hadn't totally lost my mind yet. The only real explanation was probably that being with Emmett for a year now had mellowed me out a little. Or a lot.

The truth was, I'd never imagined I could be as happy or as relaxed as I was now. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that I'd resigned myself long ago to living without a real love. But when I'd seen him again, my heart had throbbed painfully back to life with all the joy and sadness of someone who'd never fully fallen out of love. And I knew I hadn't. Emmett hadn't been a passing fancy in high school, and he certainly wasn't seven years later.

Seven years later, I was jarred so much by his sudden presence in my life that I knew he was the love of my life. Clearly, he'd felt much the same as we'd been barely been dating six months before he'd popped the question.

We'd been lying down in bed, hot and sweaty after a particularly enthusiastic and athletic bout of sex and I was drifting in and out, caught up in extreme post-coital bliss. Of course when he'd pulled the light blue box out of the side table, I'd woken up real quick.

"Rosalie," was all that he'd been able to get out before I'd tackled him, throwing my arms around his neck and letting the hot tears leak out the corners of my eyes and onto his bare skin.

He'd laughed, a rumble deep in his chest, and rubbed his hand up and down my spine, soothing me like only he could. "I'll take it that's a yes then?"

I'd only been able to nod helplessly into his shoulder, the tears coming down hard, interspersed with uncontrollable giggles. Never had I ever pictured myself as this happy. Of course, I'd never pictured myself with Emmett Cullen either.

So when Alice asked me to try to be still, on this day of all days, I knew I should try but that it was ultimately impossible. I was like a child on Christmas Eve, incredibly eager for Santa to come down the chimney and deliver my presents. Except I wouldn't be getting anything material, except for a platinum band to join the diamond solitaire on my ring finger—I'd be getting something so much better.

Tonight I'd be the proud owner of a husband I adored and one who would undoubtedly worship, cherish and love me for the rest of my life. I smiled a bit helplessly and Alice made gagging sounds from behind my head.

Glancing up at my reflection, I glared at Tanya and pointedly asked Alice, "Please tell me that I'm not going to go to the altar looking like Shirley Temple?"

Tanya frantically removed the curling iron immediately, and murmured ten different kinds of apologies. I reminded myself that when she finally took a potty break that I had to insist to Alice that she stop hovering over the poor girl—no doubt Tanya was a wreck having to work her magic under the watchful eye of one of the mavens of Portland fashion.

"No more curls," Alice said decisively, and, despite her lack of height and Tanya's towering vertical prowess, managed to maneuver her hands into my hair, gently manipulating the curls until they looked less like sausage ringlets and a lot more like a tousled, sexy style. Thank god for Alice.

I nodded at the reflection in the mirror. "That's perfect," I told Alice and her hands stilled in my hair.

"But. . .but. . .I thought we were going to have you wear it up?"

I turned slightly to the right and then to the left. Smiling, I shook my head at her and she groaned.

"But Rosalie! Down? For a wedding?"

Before I could open my mouth to say that I was the bride and if I wanted to wear my hair down, I'd sure as hell do just that, Bella spoke up from her perch on the chair across the room.

"She _is _the bride, Alice," Bella said wryly, sharing a quick smile with my reflection.

Alice sighed with exaggeration and waved her hand at Tanya, who seemed to be awaiting her instructions to pack up.

No doubt Alice was thinking that when it was finally her day, she was going to run us ragged. As if Bella and I didn't already know that Alice was going to be a bridezilla extraordinaire. From almost the minute that Alice had come home, gray eyes gleaming with excited and happy tears, a diamond solitaire reflecting light on her ring finger, Bella and I had made private jokes about how bad she was going to be.

I thought that in comparison, I was rather an easy bride to please. Anyway, this wedding was rather simple and small—I just hadn't wanted a big circus. All I wanted was to marry Emmett and get on with the rest of our lives. More than once Alice had observed that this wedding seemed to be more Bella's taste than mine, and though I'd laughed at her petulant whining, I hadn't been able to really disagree.

I told myself that it was an example of how I was growing up since Emmett and I had found each other again. The material things were nice, of course, but they couldn't possibly compare to the immaterial. It was as if all those years separating us had only taught me so well that happiness was ultimately fleeting and was meant to be cherished while it hung around.

So I wasn't going to stick it to fate and gloat in front of God and the world that I'd found my man. All I wanted was Emmett—that was enough for me.

"Well," Alice spoke up again, her tone of voice defeated, "I suppose it'll go well with your dress." She'd been eternally disappointed that I hadn't picked some fairy princess confection of tulle and ruffled satin, and had instead settled on a fairly simple, elegant off-white empire-wasted gown trimmed with gold embroidery.

I hadn't bothered to even try to explain to Alice that all the big price tags and fancy designer names and fifteen petticoats were unnecessary when you looked at yourself in the mirror and you simply glowed with perfect happiness.

"Speaking of dresses, have you found one you like yet?" Bella piped up again from her corner, still trying to keep the peace. She was our little master diplomat and I'd learned to love that about her, especially during the epic battle over my wedding planning.

Alice sighed dramatically. "No, of course not. Nothing's quite right, you know?"

Bella nodded understandingly, but we exchanged another look in the mirror while Alice fussed with a drooping curl. There'd been _dozens _of dresses that had been "right," but Alice had steadfastly turned each one down, decisively. After weeks and weeks spent in every bridal salon in Portland, both Bella and I were beginning to think there must be some underlying reason that Alice was refusing to pick a dress.

Of the three of us, Bella was the only one of us who didn't have a ring on a special finger. I'd mentioned it offhandedly, teasingly, one day and later, Alice had pulled me aside and read me the riot act. Apparently Bella was feeling not only left out, but keenly felt the lack of a proposal. Alice had tried to reassure her that Edward would, _of course_, propose, but with every day that went by without the all-important declaration, I could see the hurt grow in Bella's eyes. She never said a word, but we all knew. I'd pumped Emmett relentlessly and I knew Alice had nearly broken Jasper, but neither of us had been able to find out a single bit of information.

And of course, going through one wedding while concurrently planning another probably didn't help Bella feel any better, I thought ruefully.

"Have you talked to Esme about the date yet?" I asked this question, but not before another look flashed between Bella and I. A week ago, we'd had a serious discussion about Alice and why she spent hours and hours every day doing abstract wedding planning, but at the same time, she refused to pin down any details. There was no dress and no date. Those were the two undeniable pieces of a wedding—you couldn't have one without a date or a dress. We'd agreed that we'd slowly try to get into her psyche and figure out why she'd been so steadfastly playing at planning a wedding, but hadn't actually buckled down to plan a damn thing.

"Uh, no. Not yet." This time Alice didn't even offer an excuse and her tone of voice told me the last thing she wanted to talk about today was the fact that she was basically refusing to plan a wedding.

"Alice. Tell me what's going on. Now." I didn't ask, I just demanded. Alice was one of my oldest friends and, in essence, my sister.

Bella rose from her chair and leaned against the dresser, supporting my inquiry.

"There's nothing going on," Alice insisted, but I sensed her wavering.

"Alice, we know you're not actually planning anything. You haven't picked a date or a venue or even a dress. Considering how much you love clothes, I find that you've rejected probably twenty perfectly beautiful dresses rather distressing," Bella added, clearly also sensing that Alice was about to break.

Alice collapsed into the nearest chair, her head in her hands. "Something terrible's happened," she moaned through her fingers.

Leaning over towards her, Bella rubbed her back encouragingly. "You need to tell us, Alice. We're your best friends."

"I'm . . . I'm . . . I'm _pregnant_," Alice finally wailed, her sobs coming fast and furious.

I know my jaw dropped in absolute shock and I could see my own expression of astonishment mirrored on Bella's face. Of everything that we'd theorized and speculated, pregnancy hadn't been anywhere close to the list.

"Does Jasper know?" Bella asked quietly, clearly recovering a lot more quickly than I was. I was still freaking speechless from Alice's bomb.

Alice shook her head and let out another full complement of miserable sobs. "I'm not showing yet, but it's only a matter of time. I'm going to be a _pregnant_ bride," she hiccupped.

Bella couldn't possibly understand how long Alice had dreamed about the perfect wedding. I'd grown up with her, and had witnessed planning that went back to her early childhood. To have to sacrifice this lifelong dream was clearly a difficult thing for Alice, but I lectured myself to maintain a positive attitude. After all, Alice was going to be a _mother. _Good lord, I was going to be an _aunt_.

"Oh but Alice, this is wonderful news," I exuded. "You're going to have a baby!"

She looked up at me and I saw that her makeup had run, but that her eyes were shining. "I know!" she said, excitement breaking into her voice. "But how am I going to tell Jasper?"

"You really should have told him before this," Bella lectured, but she couldn't help but smile too.

Alice tried to look contrite. "I know, I know. But how on earth do you break that kind of news? I really have tried, but the moment never seems right."

I could only imagine Alice's difficulty in finding the right moment to tell her fiancé that not only would he be getting a wife, but a baby as well. I tried to picture myself telling Emmett I was pregnant, but the idea was so incongruous that the image just wouldn't come—and like Alice, I _wanted _to be a mother.

"Um, well. You clearly can't waste any more time," I decided. "You need to tell him today."

"Today?" Alice squeaked. "But it's your _wedding_."

I shook my head decisively. "That doesn't matter. It's my wedding, not yours. You'll tell him at the reception."

"Oh no," Alice moaned, sinking into the chair, head back in her hands.

"You'll tell Jasper, or _I'll _tell him," I told her. "And I can pretty much guarantee he'd much rather hear this news from you than me."

My mother chose that particular moment to walk into the room.

"Rosalie, are you almost ready to go?"

I looked in the mirror at my makeup-free face and shook my head. "And Bella still needs her hair done," I added.

"Okay, well we need to leave soon, so hurry up."

Bella and I both groaned as Alice popped up, looking totally reenergized. As she wiped off the residual black smudges from underneath her eyes, she started directing traffic. I leaned back in the chair and thought to myself that I couldn't wait until all the pomp and circumstance was over and I was actually married to Emmett.

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EmPOV

I felt like I'd been waiting forever to make Rosalie my wife. Except that it wasn't forever. Nope, it was only as long as it took her to get her hot ass down the aisle.

Unfortunately, the church Rosalie (or probably Alice) had picked had the longest fucking aisle in the entire world.

I shifted my weight nervously, and waited for the doors at the back of the church to open so that we could freaking get on with this whole show. Okay, and if I was being honest with myself, which I tried to do on special occasions like this, I just couldn't wait to see Rosie in a wedding dress. That was like the ultimate wet dream: your woman in white lace and satin, ready and wanting to be yours forever.

Jasper, who was acting as my best man, must have noticed that nerves were beginning to get the better of me, and leaned over to mumble in my ear. "Hey man, it'll be over soon, I promise. And then you can have another slug from the flask I brought."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. I don't want it to be over—more like I can't _wait _for it to start."

Jasper chuckled. "Of course. You're the most willing-to-be-shackled man I've ever met."

"Of course," I huffed. "This is Rosie we're talking about. What man _wouldn't _want to be married to her?"

Edward leaned over, joining in the hushed conversation. "Dude, keep it down. I think everyone can hear how fucking ecstatic you are to be married."

Rolling my eyes, I considered how best to answer my asshole brother, Edward. How could I possibly listen to a man who'd _delayed _proposing to the love of his life simply because he wanted to take her on an amazing vacation to Italy to do it?

I opened my mouth to say something of the kind when the excessively loud trumpeter in the brass quartet behind me announced the beginning of the ceremony.

Holding my breath as the music started, I watched the door as they opened. I could see a glimpse of white behind Alice and Bella, because let's face it, my girl seemed taller than the two of them put together, but frustratingly, I could only make out a bit of blond. I would have to wait _more_ as Alice and Bella meandered as slow as humanly possible up the freaking aisle, which I'd already noted was nearly the length of a full-size runway.

Finally, _finally, _the music changed from whatever fluffy classical crap that Alice had selected to the wedding march.

And then I saw her.

She was beautiful of course, but I couldn't even think any further than that—words just couldn't seem to explain how unbelievably lovely she was; in fact, she _glowed_.

I'd thought before that the aisle down the center of the church was ridiculously long, but Rose reached me, a smile nearly splitting her face in half, way before I was ready. I wanted more time to watch her as she walked toward me—an hour wouldn't have been enough.

But I was more than ready for her to finally be mine. I took her hand and we faced the minister and finally the moment it felt like I'd been waiting an eternity for began.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: First of all I have to apologize for how long it took me to write this damn thing. I started it like 2 weeks ago, and I've just struggled with it. Finally, I feel like I'm happy with the way it turned out, and I hope you'll feel the same way too!**

**Thanks to my beta CallistoLexx for being quick!  
**

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APOV

I was avoiding Jasper. It wasn't exactly a conscious decision, but with so much _wedding _surrounding us as the reception carried on, I couldn't even look him in the eye.

I didn't feel necessarily like it was only my fault—after all, it definitely took two to make a baby—but I did feel bad for keeping it from Jasper for so long. I'd wanted to tell him, but every time I'd gathered my courage, I hadn't been able to get the words past my throat.

Across the room, Rosalie, the most beautiful bride in the history of weddings, gave me a stern look that said "get on with it." Today she looked anything but a hard ass, but I knew better.

Swallowing the hard ball of misery that was threatening to choke me, I glanced around, pretending to look for my errant fiancé, but not really wanting to find him. I knew Rose was dead serious and that she'd definitely tell him if I didn't—which meant that no matter how much I wanted to avoid this, it was unfortunately inevitably going to happen today.

Tonight.

Unconsciously, I settled a hand on my still flat stomach and tried to take a few deep breaths. Calm and relaxed was never my strong suit, but at this rate, I was going to commit a serious word vomit catastrophe and tell him right here, _in _Rose and Emmett's reception.

I'd never been able to keep secrets; only with the advent of Jasper into my life had I learned to keep my mouth shut. First I'd kept his strange treatment of me from both Rosalie and Bella, and then I'd managed to keep the biggest secret of my life under wraps.

"Alice, there you are."

I turned around and plastered a fake smile on my face. I'd never had to do that with Jasper before—I'd always been so happy to see the love of my life. Now, I was just scared shitless.

Jasper and I had come a long ways to trusting each other. The beginning of our relationship hadn't exactly been auspicious, but after he'd demonstrated that he was determined to do just about anything to win me over—including breaking and entering—I'd begun to trust him. The trust between us wasn't perfect yet though, and deep down, I was terrified he'd choose this moment to leave me. After all he'd only asked for a wife, not a wife _and _a child.

"It's a beautiful reception, isn't it?" I asked him, simply to say something. Jasper wouldn't know one reception from another. He and Edward and Emmett probably would have been happy on the beach with a keg.

"It is," Jasper said, pulling me towards him. "We should take advantage of this music and dance, 'cause you know, that's what it's for."

I chuckled as he led me to the floor, but my stomach was tied in a million knots.

We began to dance, my head rested against his chest, and if only I didn't have this secret hanging over my head, it would have been just another perfect moment in a long list that we'd experienced together. I'd never really understood how secrets destroyed a relationship, but I was beginning to see how they twisted everything good into something not exactly bad—but still, not exactly right either.

I had to tell him. Now. Before this went any farther. Hell, it had already gone too far.

"I have to talk to you, Jasper," I told him, and my voice was muffled against the starched white shirt of his tux.

"What is it, sweetheart?" he asked and his voice was warm and tender and so loving that I wanted to let the tears fall, regardless of being in the middle of Rosalie's wedding reception.

"Can we go outside?" I knew I sounded terrified and no doubt Jasper was panicking, but I looked up at his face and it was smooth and calm.

He simply nodded and led me off the dance floor, and out a small door to an attached balcony. I shivered, not really from the cold, but mostly from an excess of nervous energy. Jasper, ever the gentleman, removed his tuxedo jacket and draped it around my shoulders.

"Thanks," I mumbled, then forced myself to look up into his eyes instead of down at the ground at my new stilettos. Those were comforting; I had a feeling that in a minute, Jasper's face wouldn't be. I prayed fiercely that he wouldn't be upset about the baby but I knew he would _at least _be pissed that I'd waited two months to tell him.

"Now what did you want to talk about?"

This was always the moment where I clammed up in the past. But this time, I took a deep breath, met his gaze and forced the words out of my throat.

"Jasper, I'm pregnant."

His breath let out in a big whoosh and his eyes grew very, very wide, but he didn't look upset—not exactly anyway.

I smiled hesitatingly at him and got a resoundingly brilliant grin back right before he grabbed me into his arms and held me tight. "This is wonderful news," he murmured excitedly into my ear and a wave of relief rushed over me. I couldn't hold the tears back and a few of them leaked onto his white shirt.

"How far along are you?" he asked and I felt the hope inside me shrivel.

He was ecstatic about the baby now, but how would he feel about it when he found out I'd been hiding the news for so long?

"Two months," I told him in a small voice, hiding my face in his shirt, unable to meet his eyes.

Jasper grew absolutely still and I could feel his heart speed up.

"How long have you known?" he asked and his voice was definitely cooler than it had been only a moment before.

"About six weeks."

"Six weeks?" His voice wasn't just cool now—it was angry and upset and full of disbelief. He pushed me away from him and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," I said, raising my hands in supplication. "I should have told you sooner." The pit of dread in my stomach deepened and I had never been so terrified as I was in this moment. If Jasper left me, I could never live with myself.

"Six weeks and you didn't think I should know?"

"I tried to tell you." Tears clogged my throat and panic rose hard and fast at the angry expression on his face. "It's not an easy thing to confess."

The deep lines of anger on Jasper's face morphed into confusion. "Why wouldn't it be? Aren't you happy about the baby? Did you think I'd be upset?"

He fired the questions at me like bullets and I was unprepared to dodge them. I didn't even understand my reasons for keeping the baby a secret. "Of course not," I told him, desperately trying to keep my voice calm and even, "and naturally, I'm thrilled that I'm having a baby."

"We're. _We're _having a baby," Jasper reminded me, his lips pressed together in a thin, hard line. I could nearly feel the frustration radiating off him.

"Oh. Right." I didn't know what else to say to him—maybe that in the six weeks I'd known that I was pregnant, not once had I considered that the baby was _ours_. Only that the baby was mine. This, I knew, was not a good sign.

"We can fix this," Jasper said, running his hand through his hair yet again, causing it to nearly stick up on its ends. In any other situation, I would have stood on my tiptoes and affectionately rearranged it for him. This time, I just stood there, in mute terror, as Jasper told me there was something in this situation that had to be "fixed."

"Something has to be fixed?" I'd apparently abandoned calm and had moved onto hysteria.

Jasper looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Of course. I don't want you to worry about a thing," he said, pulling me close to him with a perfunctory affection. Glancing up at his face, I noticed he wasn't even looking at me—well, he might have been looking, but he wasn't seeing. His eyes were lost in plans.

Plans I didn't know or understand. A shaft of nauseous fear lanced through me and I clung hard to Jasper, my hands digging into his shirt.

"What plans?" I insisted with mounting hysteria.

Jasper's eyes refocused on me and he rubbed my arms reassuringly. "Alice, sweetheart, calm down. You're going to upset the baby." One hand reached down and caressed my still-flat stomach.

"I'm going to be gone for maybe an hour," he continued. "I won't be missed, will I?"

I shook my head mutely. I supposed whatever Jasper was planning to do about the baby, I would find out when he returned. He seemed happy enough so I knew at least that he wouldn't leave me or want me to have an abortion. Even though I still knew nothing, I was able to breathe a small sigh of relief as he kissed me quickly and strode out the patio door.

I stayed outside for as long as I could, wrapping Jasper's still-warm tux jacket around me until I felt enveloped in the faint scent of him.

The nameless fear that I'd been carrying around with me since I'd peed on a stick had vanished and now that it was gone, I knew what it had been. I'd been terrified that Jasper would discover, with the new addition to our family, that he didn't love me after all and that the last thing he wanted was to be married to me.

While he hadn't exactly acted as expected, his behavior had still been strange. He'd been angry and hurt, but he hadn't stayed that way. I should be relieved, I told myself, and able to stop worrying.

Just as I was lecturing myself to rejoin the reception, regardless of how little I felt like partying, the patio door opened and I knew before I even turned around it was Rosalie from the sound of her silk dress swishing as she walked towards me.

"Where did Jasper go?" Bella asked and I turned to see my two best friends looking at me with sympathy.

I realized then that they thought he'd left—and not just to do whatever he needed to do, but permanently, once I'd told him about the baby. I could see tears glimmering in Rose's blue eyes and they weren't tears of joy that she'd finally married the man of her dreams. Instead, they were tears of self-reproach and anger that she hadn't let me do this my way and as a result, I'd lost Jasper.

"I told him," I said with a steady calm voice. "He wasn't even too angry. He just said we could 'fix' it."

Bella gasped and I knew immediately what she thought he'd meant. "No, no, no," I insisted, wrapping my arms around Bella. "He didn't mean _that_. In fact, I'm not sure what he meant. He said he'd be back soon."

"Good," Rose said, adding herself to the group hug, apparently not caring that her silk dress would wrinkle. I was reminded again of all the positive changes in my sister since she'd reunited with Emmett. She'd become softer and kinder and so much happier that sometimes she nearly seemed to glow with it.

"You should come inside," Bella suggested. "It's cold outside and you'll miss Rosalie and Emmett cutting the cake."

I nodded and we walked back inside the ballroom. "Should we delay the cake cutting for Jasper?" Rosalie asked me, but I shook my head. "As long as he gets a piece—that's all he'll care about."

"Okay," she said decisively, and left to find Emmett.

"So you're okay then?" Bella asked again, a note of concern still evident in her voice.

"Yes and no," I sighed. "I just wish Jasper would get back so I could figure out what the heck he's talking about."

"Maybe he told Edward and I could ask him," Bella suggested.

"No, no, no," I insisted. "Besides, I very much doubt he's told Edward."

At that precise moment, Edward came up behind Bella, wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. He looked up at me, and beamed and I knew in that instant that I'd been so, _so _wrong. Jasper hadn't wasted any time whatsoever.

"Uh, thanks," I stammered to Edward, who had resumed kissing Bella's neck. I turned and left, sensing they wanted to be alone—probably to discuss their upcoming trip to Italy, which was definitely not what Bella wanted to talk about. No doubt she'd much rather have asked him in a haze of fury, anger and hurt why it was that they'd been together for a blissful twelve months and he hadn't yet proposed.

I sighed and began to circulate like a normal wedding guest. About halfway across the room, I was astounded at how many people offered their congratulations on my pregnancy. Suddenly, the secret that had been just mine only a few hours earlier was common knowledge. Jasper, I thought darkly, had really been busy before he left.

During our five minute conversation, we hadn't exactly discussed how best to tell everyone, but Jasper had obviously decided that he could inform anyone he wanted to—which was apparently the whole damn room. I finally found a corner to hide in that partially blocked me from the interested crowd and decided that I'd stay here until Jasper returned to answer for his actions. I had no desire to continue to receive congratulations for an event that I still considered personal and private.

Just when I'd totally given up on Jasper ever returning and forcing me to spend my best friend's wedding reception hiding in the corner so not a single additional person could congratulate me on my unexpected pregnancy, he appeared in front of me, minus a tuxedo.

"Jasper," I hissed, so nobody would hear and run over, eager to see the scene between the pregnant lady and her recalcitrant fiancé. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Making plans," he hissed back, in an uncanny imitation of my own "angry but trying to talk softly" voice. I knew he thought it was _real _funny when he smiled at his own joke. On the other hand, the last thing I felt like doing was laughing.

"Could you please tell me why _everyone _suddenly knows that I'm pregnant?"

"I told them," he said nonchalantly. "Did you not want me to?"

I groaned. "I cannot believe you. You take off without a single word about what exactly you're doing and then before you leave our best friends' wedding reception, you tell the whole damn party that you've impregnated me."

"I'm proud—we're going to have a baby," he shrugged. "I'm sorry you didn't want me to say anything, but the news was just so. . .so great that I couldn't help myself." He smiled again, a bit more self-consciously this time, like he had some sort of inkling what kind of trouble he was in.

But suddenly, I didn't mind so much that the baby was "ours." In fact, I was suddenly proud and downright fucking thrilled that he wanted it just as much as I did that I had to blink away a few tears.

Jasper kneeled next to me and his position reminded me so strongly of his proposal that I was thankful we were almost completely obscured by the towering flower arrangement in the middle that I'd abducted from another part of the reception and strategically placed to give maximum privacy. All we needed was for people to think there was something more interesting going on than a wedding reception. "Babe," he said, looking up at me seriously, "please don't kill me."

"Why would I kill you?" I asked, gaze narrowing and heart beating faster. Had he done something _worse _than tell all of Rosalie and Emmett's guests that I had a bun in the oven?

"Oh, you might. But then you might be happy too. It's hard to say with you," he confessed and I was sure he was right. The last two months had probably been especially hard on him with me all hormonal and not confiding why my behavior was so erratic. And then there was the small issue of the wedding that wasn't getting planned.

"I know, now," he continued, "why you never wanted to plan the wedding. I thought it might be that you had cold feet about marrying me, but I didn't want to ask you because then . . .then," Jasper paused and cleared his throat and I was touched to see that the corners of his eyes were watery too, "then you might leave me."

I threw my arms around him and he hugged me tightly to him. "Never," I whispered in his ear. "I'll never leave you."

"I'm going to hold you to that. Just remember your promise in the next five minutes."

I pulled back so I could look him straight in the eyes. "Jasper, what have you done?" I asked insistently.

He shrugged a bit too nonchalantly. "You wouldn't plan the wedding . . .so I did."

My jaw dropped. "_You_ _planned my wedding?_" I shrieked. "_In an hour?"_

Every head in the reception turned our way. So much for keeping a low profile. I noticed, not with pleasure, that Rosalie was laughing so hard that Emmett had to hold her up.

I supposed that if it wasn't _me _this was happening to, I might find it funny too. But now, in the middle of the situation, I definitely did _not _find this very amusing.

"Details," I yelled at Jasper, who was trying to keep a straight face, but was rapidly losing it to a smile that was hovering in the background.

"We're going to elope. In Vegas. At the Venetian. Our plane leaves in two hours. I've packed our bags—I really, _really _hope I got everything you would need, but I figured if I missed something, we can always get it there."

My gaze narrowed. Of all the places I'd ever imagined getting married, Las Vegas had not even made the top one hundred. But I supposed with the time rapidly approaching when my pregnancy would show, this plan wasn't all bad. Not that I was going to let Jasper off the hook. Not that I was going to tell him that my heart, despite all those silly foolish plans of a fairy tale wedding, was singing with joy that we'd be married so soon and that it had all been his idea. Plus, he _had _picked the Venetian—not something cheesy or tacky like Treasure Island or the drive-thru wedding chapel.

And then the white hot, purifying truth hit me. There were so many romantic gestures that Jasper could have planned to prove to me once and for all that he was sticking, but this eclipsed them all. And then suddenly I didn't care about pseudo-punishing him for planning my own wedding. Suddenly, I understand why Rosalie hadn't cared as much about her own wedding as I thought she would. When you were going to spend the rest of your life with the man of your dreams, how you got married felt like very small beans.

I stood up and jerked Jasper up from his knees by his hands. "Let's go," I told him, smiling, and not even bothering to wipe away the tears of happiness that were trickling down my cheeks. "We've got a plane to catch."

* * *

**AN: Last chapter will be Edward and Bella--obviously. That one should be a lot easier *crosses fingers***


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: PHEW. It's FINALLY DONE!!!!!! Believe it or not, this fun (kind of fluffy) last chapter was really tough for me to write. Not sure if it's because I'm sad to leave TDIG behind forever or because Bella and Edward didn't want me to finish their story either, but in any case, it's finished. That's right--no more TDIG updates EVAH (*tear*).**

**If you want to see the Hotel Santa Caterina--and this is not to be missed, bbs, check out my profile for the link!  
**

**Thanks SO MUCH to my beta CallistoLexx, my cheerleader Debussy-This and my best fanboy, TheEdwardEmmett, who still wanted to get Edward slapped around. THE BLASPHEMY!**

**And thanks also to everyone who supported the story and reviewed and favorited. There are no words I can find to sufficiently express my gratitude.**

* * *

BPOV

I watched my boyfriend across the airport international terminal as he talked to his brother and tried desperately not to feel anxious. Taking a deep breath, I repeated to myself that it didn't matter that his brothers were both happily married to my best friends and that I was desperate to add us to that group.

I'd spent the last couple of months trying to hide my real feelings of envy as my best friends prepared for their weddings. Rose's wedding had been a beautiful and elegant but small affair. Alice's wedding on the other hand . . .well. . .that was what Edward was talking to Jasper about right now.

Apparently after finding out that Alice was pregnant, they'd decided to elope in Las Vegas and so while Edward and I were getting ready to fly to Italy for our first vacation together, Jasper and Alice had already left, before Rose and Emmett's wedding reception had even ended.

I considered for a split second that maybe Alice's accidental plan of getting pregnant and then married would be an appropriate solution to my problem. But I dismissed it not only because the last thing I wanted to do was trap Edward but also because Jasper and Alice had already been engaged when she'd gotten pregnant.

I was the most un-engaged person I knew. Boo hiss.

Edward had been raving about how much he wanted to go to Italy since we'd first started dating, and before that even, if Emmett and Jasper were to be believed, so when I'd suggested that we take our first vacation together there, he'd loved the idea. Since Edward never did _anything _halfway, he'd dived headlong into the chore of planning the vacation. I had enough experience with Alice to know that it was just better to smile and nod, which is precisely what I did with Edward. He was intimately familiar with any number of travel guides, with the layout of our hotel, with the available travel options—while on the other hand, sometimes it felt like I was just along for the ride.

It wasn't that I didn't care about the trip. I _did, _it was just that the entire trip planning experience had been superseded by wedding planning and whenever the conversation turned to impending nuptials (which it had frequently), everything faded but a sick feeling that while I wanted nothing more than to spend the right of our lives together, Edward didn't feel the same way.

Finally, I'd confided my fear to Alice and Rosalie, who had scoffed and done their best to convince me that Edward was indeed crazy with love for me and that _of course _he would be proposing, but I saw the doubt lurking in their eyes. They weren't sure and naturally this only doubled my own secret misery.

Desolately, I glanced back at Edward, who was laughing and smiling as he spoke to Jasper, and I wondered if he was so happy that his brother was married, why wouldn't he want to be married himself? There was some part of me that recognized I was overreacting, but that part had been long since buried by talk of satin and lace and matching engraved goblets. When everyone around you is _so _sure that they've found the love of their lives, it causes some examination of your own. I'd done the math and I knew Edward was what I wanted and there were no words to express how much I yearned for him to realize it too.

Edward closed his cell phone, his conversation with Jasper obviously over, and walked back over to where our carryon bags were piled up next to me.

I was wrong; Edward hadn't just been smiling, he was _beaming_. I wanted to throw something at him for being so eternally clueless.

"Jasper and Alice are married," Edward exclaimed, looking a lot more thrilled than someone in his position had a right to be.

I arranged a happy expression on my face and said all the necessary congratulatory words and tried to believe inside that I really meant what I was saying. I didn't want to be so eaten by jealousy and envy that I couldn't be happy for my friends when they deserved it.

"You look . . .odd," Edward observed as he sat down and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

For a split second, I considered voicing my annoyance at the whole situation, but as I glanced around the rather full waiting area, I reconsidered.

Edward was so happy about this trip and the last thing I wanted to do was bitch at him about his lack of commitment. I hated those girls and even more; I hated the thought that I was becoming just like one of them. So I leaned into Edward's embrace and closed my eyes, trying to forget about all my worries and fears. Soon we'd be in Italy and I'd be distracted. Edward said he had just enough activities planned—with plenty of time, he'd smirked at me, to just laze around in bed.

This was the first vacation I'd taken in who knew how long, and I thought as I glanced at Edward, I was going with an amazing incredible man who _did _love me.

I should be thrilled. Hell, I _was _thrilled.

* * *

Twenty four hours later, as we walked into the Italian sunshine, I was desperately trying to remember through a haze of airplanes and airports why exactly I'd been so thrilled to agree to travel halfway across the world. Blearily wiping my tired eyes, I groaned as the white hot bright sun hit me. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and stay there forever.

And then before I could open my mouth to tell Edward this, he stopped, grabbed my hand and turned towards me. "_Benvenuto in Italia, bella Bella_," he spoke with a flourish, so obviously proud of learning a simple Italian phrase that all the anger and frustration and annoyance I'd experienced during the trip just faded away, leaving a blinding searing happiness that eclipsed even the sunshine overhead.

I threw my arms around Edward's neck and pressed my lips to his. I'd made a decision in that second—if Edward couldn't propose to me, I'd just propose to him instead.

We hadn't had what anyone would term a conventional courtship, and I had no problem with continuing that trend. I'd just have to pick the right moment and bring it up. Considering we were in ultra-romantic Italy, finding the perfect time to propose probably wouldn't be all that difficult.

"How much more Italian do you know?" I asked Edward, picking up my luggage and following him as we walked towards a line of taxis.

"Um, not much," he confessed, giving me a wry smile. "When I talk to the driver, prepare to be amused."

"Oh I will be," I assured him with glee.

"That's my girl," Edward smiled at me, relief clouding his features. "You've been acting strange for weeks now. But your smile's back."

I didn't want to tell him the reason why I'd been so blue lately, so I just smiled again, wider. We approached the nearest taxi and Edward leaned in the front passenger window, and I watched with definite amusement as he tried to communicate in his undoubtedly shaky Italian that we wanted to go to Positano on the Amalfi Coast.

Finally, we were settled in the cab, and I had a definite moment of relief when the driver looked relatively normal. I'd heard so many horror stories about foreign drivers—but this was a cute old man who looked like he couldn't go fast if his life depended on it.

Unfortunately, looks were deceiving and the sweet old man's driving would have put Danica Patrick to shame. Edward and I gripped each other and the worn seats of the little Citreon as we hurtled down cliffs with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. If I hadn't been fucking terrified, I would have been breathless at the beauty of the scenery. As it was, I was just breathless with fear.

Forty five minutes later, knees still a bit wobbly, I exited the cab o' death and my breath caught as I looked at the hotel the man had brought us to.

The Hotel Santa Caterina was glorious, a veritable garden of paradise sitting on a cliff overlooking a crystal blue ocean.

"_This _is the hotel," I stammered at Edward, who just looked at me through his sunglasses lenses, a smirk twisting his lips. Clearly he was enjoying my shock.

"We talked about it before," Edward reasoned, "I told you what it would be like."

"Yeah, but there were no _pictures_," I argued, in absolute awe of where we were.

Edward walked inside the lobby like he was born to do this—lounge around, purposeless, in incredible foreign hotels. Me, on the other hand, crept in like I was afraid that someone was going to discover who I was and throw me out any second.

"Reservations for Cullen," he told the woman behind the desk authoritatively. I'd only heard him take this tone when he was conducting business and it never failed to turn me on. In charge Edward was something not to be missed—or taken advantage of. I was tired, maybe, but not _that _tired.

Besides there was sure to be a bed waiting for us and I had no issue with using it.

I was so busy daydreaming all the ways we were going to use the bed when I caught the tail end of what the woman behind the desk was saying. . ."the honeymoon suite is all ready for you, signore."

_The honeymoon suite?_

"Uh, Edward?" I spoke up, interrupting whatever business he and the concierge were concluding.

"What is it, Bella?" he asked, immediately coming over to me, and noting, I could tell, the confused expression on my face.

"Did I just hear _honeymoon suite_?" I hissed at him.

I'd never once seen Edward blush in the year we'd been together, but today he did. He turned bright red and then back to normal almost instantly, but I saw it and it was enough to give me that little extra boost of confidence in a five star luxury hotel lobby.

"Please explain what is going on," I insisted as he hesitated. "Did you tell them we were _married_?"

He blushed again, and I almost wanted to squeal with laughter at the bizarre sight of Edward turning puce, but the lobby was way too solemn and classy and beautiful for me to act so silly. "I _had _to, Bels, or else they wouldn't give us the honeymoon suite and trust me, you'll love it."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I cannot believe you," I said rather bluntly. "We're not even _engaged_." And really that was what frosted me most of all. We weren't even fucking engaged and Edward had the nerve to tell people that we were already _married_.

"No, we're not," he replied quietly and there was a different and serious tone in his voice now. I wondered what it meant but before I could ask, the concierge motioned him over to finish his paperwork.

I waited in silence as Edward signed another paper and was given the keys to our room. Or our _suite_, I corrected myself.

When he walked over to me again, he asked quietly, "Do you want to see the suite or do you want me to ask for another?"

I opened my mouth to demand that he get another—after all, we weren't married. We had no right to the honeymoon suite, but there was something so solemn and determined and hopeful in his eyes that in the end, I couldn't do it. And I was a little curious to see what a honeymoon suite in a hotel like this would look like. Incredible, no doubt.

Incredible didn't even come to describing it. The moment I set foot in the suite—actually it was more like a secluded cottage, totally separate from the main hotel—I knew that there was no way I could say no to this. I had never seen anything as visually stunning as this, and I said as much to Edward as I walked from room to room.

"So I take it you want to stay here then," he observed, more than a little smugly. And really I couldn't blame him. This place was unbelievable and as a result, he had the right to be a proud of himself.

"I wish Alice could see this," I said reverently as I stared at the ocean from the wrought iron garden patio.

"High praise indeed," Edward said, coming up from behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"She would love it."

"She's actually the one who recommended it," Edward confessed. "I couldn't decide and so I asked her to help."

I was too contented in that moment to be even the slightest bit annoyed. Besides, a good boyfriend always knew when to consult his girl's friends for advice.

Vacations, presents and engagement rings were all things that needed friend approval. I wished, a bit wistfully, that Edward had asked for Alice's help in the latter category versus the former.

I told myself that it was okay that I'd decided to propose to Edward—perhaps not the most romantic way but all that mattered was that Edward and I would never be separated. I couldn't bear the thought of us not being together. We belonged like this and I had to make certain that he acknowledged it too.

"Come on, let's go to bed. I'm exhausted." Edward grasped my hand, pulling me towards the bedroom, and I smiled as I shut the doors of the patio behind me and closed the curtains. Edward knew me well enough to know he never had to ask me to go to bed twice.

* * *

Our first night in Italy was the first night in as long as I could remember that we were too tired for sex—and no matter how we both protested we wanted each other we fell asleep almost immediately and slept the remainder of the day and all the way through the night.

I woke up the next morning feeling incredibly well-rested and more than ready to get out of bed and see more of the incredible place we were in, but apparently Edward had other ideas.

"Edward," I whined—but only a little because mostly I wanted him to keep going. "There's so much to see. It feels like a waste to spend it in bed."

"There _is _so much to see," he smirked as he stripped my t-shirt off me, "and I've told you again and again, there's no purpose in you wearing clothes to bed. They're just going to come off."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I think I might remember you saying that once or twice," I agreed breathlessly as his hands slid up my bare skin.

"I think I'm going to have to teach you a lesson right here, right now. No more clothes. _Ever_."

I loved the idea of a lesson, and in the moment before I became too absorbed in the pleasure of Edward's hands on my skin and his mouth on mine, I wondered if he really meant _ever _or if it had just been something he said during the heat of the moment.

And then I couldn't think at all.

Three hours later, I finally managed to drag myself out of bed, and that was only because Edward was momentarily distracted by his buzzing Blackberry. I'm sure if he'd noticed I was leaving, he would have pulled me back for yet another round.

But I was thoroughly sated with sex and more than ready to explore this amazing place we'd traveled to. More sex could wait—at least for a little while.

I dodged Edward's arm as it shot out and tried to drag me back to bed. "Later!" I laughed teasingly as I swung my hips to avoid him.

I pulled open the curtains and let out the breath I hadn't even known I was holding. The view was incomparable. I'd never, in all my twenty five years, seen anything like it. The water was a clear, jewel-like blue, as far as the eye could see, with tiny boats dotting it. The sky was nearly the same color was the water with not a cloud in sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Edward said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Shall I order us some breakfast?"

"Can we eat on the patio?" I asked, suddenly eager to explore, but more importantly, eager to tell Edward what was on my mind. And what could possibly be more romantic than a breakfast for two, on a wrought iron garden patio, overlooking the Mediterranean ocean? It would be the perfect moment to propose and I didn't want to wait a second longer than I had to—I just couldn't wait to make Edward _mine_ forever.

* * *

EPOV

I couldn't wait to make Bella mine forever.

I'd nearly died having to wait until we were in Italy to propose. For weeks before we left, I almost caught myself blurting it out all the time. It was as if the words had to be said and my heart didn't want to wait a second longer to say them.

But I counseled myself that to wait for Italy would be better. I didn't exactly expect Bella to say no, but how could _anyone _say no, when faced with the incomparable romance of where we were? By proposing in Italy, I told myself, I was guaranteeing a lifetime with Bella forever _and _a proposal that she'd remember forever, through the good times and the bad.

While Bella went outside to stand on the patio, clad only in her t-shirt, I slipped my hand inside my suitcase into the secret pocket where I was keeping the ring. Pulling out the platinum diamond solitaire, I slipped it into the pocket of the shorts I'd quickly pulled on and went about ordering breakfast from room service.

I'd thought about waiting until an incredibly romantic candlelit dinner overlooking the bay, but I couldn't wait a second longer. Now that we were in Italy, every time seemed like the perfect time to propose, and I decided that the sooner I did it the better our vacation would be.

The hotel staff was incredibly fast, and before I knew it, we were seated at an elegant little table on our own veranda being served breakfast. The waiter finally disappeared, leaving us to our coffee and eggs and I tried to focus on what was on my plate, but suddenly my tongue felt thick in my mouth. I couldn't swallow and I couldn't eat and I found myself beginning to sweat.

Bella, of course, was completely oblivious. In fact, she seemed so happy this morning that she nearly seemed to glow with it. I'd wondered in the weeks leading up to the trip if she was as excited as I was to come here, but with our arrival, all my doubts had melted away.

Then she looked up from her pancakes and I saw a look in her eyes that I'd never seen before. Something so incredibly tender and loving that in that moment, I desperately wanted to give her the ring and say the words I'd been longing to, but still, they stuck in my throat.

Never in my life had I been a choker, but it seemed that I was making up for lost time now. Before I could possibly get up the guts—or the _balls_—to propose to the girlfriend I was madly in love with, she spoke first.

"Edward, I'm so happy to be here with you. I never want this to end." She sighed with pleasure as she glanced around her, then back at me. She reached for my hand and my empty and useless fork dropped and clattered on the plate. "And it will never end," she said, never voice never wavering, her eyes never leaving me, "if you say you'll marry me."

I dropped her hand like it was a hot potato. "Marry you?" I exclaimed incredulously. "Marry_ you?_"

Immediately her face fell and a bright and precious light in her eyes was extinguished—just like my own hopes. I'd thought of a million things I wanted to say when I proposed, but never in a million years had I ever dreamed that Bella would propose to _me_. And now I was left scrambling, worse than the eggs on my plate, trying to find a way to incorporate all those things I wanted to say with an answer that didn't leave her with tears brimming, like they were now.

"No, no, no," I repeated, grabbing for Bella's hand again. "That's not what I meant. That came out wrong."

"No, you _don't _want to marry me?" Bella choked out and I could see I was losing her fast. I had to save this or die trying in the attempt. If Bella left me, I might as well just throw myself off this balcony. I was nothing without her by my side.

She was on her feet then and I jumped up as well, ready to grab her and shake some sense into her, if I had to. It was then I remembered the ring in my pocket, and then, unlike before when I'd wanted them to, all the words I'd spend time thinking of came rushing out.

I dropped to one knee and she gasped. "Bella, _no_. Yes, of course I'll marry you. In fact, I'm _dying _to marry you, you silly girl. There's nothing on earth I love more than you and I can't even fathom anyone I'd rather spend the rest of my life with." I reached in my pocket and pulled out the ring. "I was going to ask you myself. I was actually just trying to work up the courage when you asked _me_," I finished sheepishly.

The cloud over Bella's features broke and she smiled hesitatingly and reached for the ring. "It's beautiful," she whispered as she gazed into its mirrored depths. Then she looked down at me, realization dawning in the form of an enormous smile. "You really _were _going to ask, me, weren't you?" she demanded.

I nodded again, wondering if perhaps this form of a proposal might be even more memorable than one I'd originally planned. Certainly it was unique.

"You did look like you were about to barf," she mused as she slid it on her hand. Nothing had ever looked so right.

"I really was," I said, getting to my feet and pulling her close. "I was suddenly terrified you'd turn me down. Clearly, I was totally off the mark there."

Bella rested her head on my shoulder. "The only explanation is we were both temporarily insane. I had myself convinced you didn't want to marry me at all and that's why you hadn't proposed."

"And this whole time, it was what we both wanted," I laughed rather ruefully. "The good news is that we were at least on the same page."

"Yes, but I already knew that. We always have been," Bella murmured softly into my ear, "and I think it's safe to say we always will be."

**THE END**

* * *

**You knew I was going to write another AN. . .I can't help myself. Actually there is some HUGE upcoming news that I can't wait to share with you guys but that has to stay on the DL for just a few weeks longer. No, it doesn't involve more chapters of TDIG or even a sequel, but it DOES have to do with TDIG. So stay posted!**


	4. iFic Announcement!

**I am incredibly excited to announce that **_**Turning Dust into Gold **_**has been selected as Twilighted's iFic next production—it's fourth overall.**

For those of you who are not familiar with iFic, they are a group that works out of Twilighted, turning complete Twilight fanfictions into audio recordings to listen to on your computer or iPod. These are incredibly professional productions with amazing voice talent and seamless editing.

To listen to _TDIG, _search iFic on iTunes and subscribe to their podcast, or you can also download the mp3 from a third party site. I'll have a link on my fanfiction profile to the threads on Twilighted, where there are complete instructions on how to download and listen.

There will be approximately 7 parts to _TDIG _and they will be released once a week, on Friday evenings.

**Preview posted on: 7/25/09 (please see my profile for the link)**  
**Part 1 (chapters 1-7) will be posted on: 7/31/09**

The female parts are being read by the incomparable Hopeful Wager. The male parts are being read by The Other. I have been involved with this project from the beginning, and I am so thrilled at how it's turned out. I couldn't be happier and I hope that y'all can enjoy it as much as I am!


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